umbrellas
stairs
flowers
picnic tables
waterfall
giant tree
picnic area
castle
castle again
much love,
frankie.pleure
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
paronella park
just thought that i would put some of my photos from paronella park up, it was a beautiful place to visit, and the fresh scones with homemade tropical jam were mouth watering!
umbrellas
stairs
flowers
picnic tables
waterfall
giant tree
picnic area
castle
castle again
much love,
frankie.pleure
umbrellas
stairs
flowers
picnic tables
waterfall
giant tree
picnic area
castle
castle again
much love,
frankie.pleure
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
love come and save me
check out this cute film that i found on the frankie magazine blog
i love it.
much love,
frankie.pleure
i love it.
Love Come And Save Me from Bree 666 on Vimeo.
much love,
frankie.pleure
Monday, December 7, 2009
Sweet Oh Luscious Life
So somehow I managed to get three days off work in a row - am still not entirely sure how that happened but it has been so good to have a mini holiday! I have done so much cooking (but forgotten to take photos of most of it) and spent a lot of time with my favourite little miss and her lovely mama. Have also caught up on some reading and went for a swim in the pool - it is so hot here at the moment. Feels like I am melting, and I don't think that cooking is helping! Tomorrow is one of my friends and also my brother's girlfriend's birthday! I thought that would be an excellent opportunity to make cake, so when I asked JezBomb what kind of cupcakes he would like for his birthday he said chocolate. Now don't get me wrong, I love chocolate cupcakes, but they aren't that exciting so I decided to go for something new and make Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. JezBomb didn't object so hopefully he enjoys them! I love pumpkin!!!
Other things that I have made over the last couple of days: Kofta Balls and Turkish Pilaf with Pine Nuts (from my Hare Krishna cookbook - something I picked up at the Palm Creek Folk Festival after eating at their stall for three days straight), White Chocolate and Roast Cherry Tart , and delicious, simple pizzas. So I have managed to catch up on the cooking front - I will have to do some sewing now, orders for replicas of the apron that I made for my best friend's daughter have been coming in, although I am slightly apprehensive about making adult sized ones - definitely not as cute as ones for a three year old, and possibly a lot more work! I still have to come up with christmas presents for a whole bunch of people - only 18 days to go!
Before I get recipe-ing, I thought I would leave you with a photo by the lovely and very talented Miss Alice - it is a frankie.pleure tea party. Just chilling with the bearcats - getting into the christmas spirit. I would encourage you all to tea party with your bearcats too!
much love,
frankie.pleure
White Chocolate and Roast Cherry Tart
Click here for the recipe!
Simple Pizza (makes 6 slices - serves 2 as a meal, or 3 as a snack)
1 pre-made pizza base
2 tablespoons tomato paste
5 mini bocconcini cheese, sliced
about 16 1cm cubes of feta
about 6 olives, sliced
handful of basil, washed and shredded
pre-heat oven to 180C
spread tomato paste on pizza base, sprinkle on cheese, olives and basil
place on a tray and cook for 8-10 minutes or until bocconcini is melted and base is slightly brown around the edges
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (makes 24 cupcakes)
Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk (if needed)
about 2 cups pumpkin
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
Frosting
1 tub philly cheese
1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
Cupcakes
Preheat Oven to 180C and line cupcake trays with patty pans
Cut pumpkin into cubes and cook in microwave with a litte water in the bottom of the container (or steam over a double boiler) until cooked through, then mash up and leave to cool
Whisk butter, then add sugar and mix until fluffy
Whisk in the eggs
Mix in baking powder and 1 cup of flour and stir through
Add ginger, vanilla, and cinnamon to mashed pumpkin
Mix half of pumpkin mixture through cake batter,
Then mix another cup of flour,
Then add the rest of the pumpkin mixure,
Then the last 1/2 cup of flour,
Then the milk (depending on how wet your pumpkin is will depend on how moist your cake mix is - if it is very thick add milk)
Spoon into cupcake papers so that they are 3/4 full
Another photo just for good measure :-)
Cook in 180C oven for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into them
Frosting
Whisk all ingredients together
When frosting is fluffy, put in the refrigerator until cupcakes are cool
Spread frosting over cooled cupcakes
and ENJOY!!
Happy Birthday JezBomb!!
ps - getting so excited for christmas! don't know what to make there are so many yummy options!!!
Other things that I have made over the last couple of days: Kofta Balls and Turkish Pilaf with Pine Nuts (from my Hare Krishna cookbook - something I picked up at the Palm Creek Folk Festival after eating at their stall for three days straight), White Chocolate and Roast Cherry Tart , and delicious, simple pizzas. So I have managed to catch up on the cooking front - I will have to do some sewing now, orders for replicas of the apron that I made for my best friend's daughter have been coming in, although I am slightly apprehensive about making adult sized ones - definitely not as cute as ones for a three year old, and possibly a lot more work! I still have to come up with christmas presents for a whole bunch of people - only 18 days to go!
Before I get recipe-ing, I thought I would leave you with a photo by the lovely and very talented Miss Alice - it is a frankie.pleure tea party. Just chilling with the bearcats - getting into the christmas spirit. I would encourage you all to tea party with your bearcats too!
much love,
frankie.pleure
White Chocolate and Roast Cherry Tart
Click here for the recipe!
Simple Pizza (makes 6 slices - serves 2 as a meal, or 3 as a snack)
1 pre-made pizza base
2 tablespoons tomato paste
5 mini bocconcini cheese, sliced
about 16 1cm cubes of feta
about 6 olives, sliced
handful of basil, washed and shredded
pre-heat oven to 180C
spread tomato paste on pizza base, sprinkle on cheese, olives and basil
place on a tray and cook for 8-10 minutes or until bocconcini is melted and base is slightly brown around the edges
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (makes 24 cupcakes)
Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk (if needed)
about 2 cups pumpkin
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
Frosting
1 tub philly cheese
1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
Cupcakes
Preheat Oven to 180C and line cupcake trays with patty pans
Cut pumpkin into cubes and cook in microwave with a litte water in the bottom of the container (or steam over a double boiler) until cooked through, then mash up and leave to cool
Whisk butter, then add sugar and mix until fluffy
Whisk in the eggs
Mix in baking powder and 1 cup of flour and stir through
Add ginger, vanilla, and cinnamon to mashed pumpkin
Mix half of pumpkin mixture through cake batter,
Then mix another cup of flour,
Then add the rest of the pumpkin mixure,
Then the last 1/2 cup of flour,
Then the milk (depending on how wet your pumpkin is will depend on how moist your cake mix is - if it is very thick add milk)
Spoon into cupcake papers so that they are 3/4 full
Another photo just for good measure :-)
Cook in 180C oven for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into them
Frosting
Whisk all ingredients together
When frosting is fluffy, put in the refrigerator until cupcakes are cool
Spread frosting over cooled cupcakes
and ENJOY!!
Happy Birthday JezBomb!!
ps - getting so excited for christmas! don't know what to make there are so many yummy options!!!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
looking for the great escape
it feels wonderful to finally have some time to write, it feels like everything has been so busy lately - the world is moving very quickly but at the same time i have had quite a few wonderfully refreshing time out moments of late. it is wonderful now that the uni semester is over for a few months that i am able to catch up with friends and do some of the things that i have been meaning to get around to over the last few months. strangely enough this means that i haven't done a lot of cooking lately, but instead have been sewing and reading, and spending time with the special people in my life. it was one of my best friends' daughters third birthday the other day, and I got her a cookie making kit, with cute cutters and measuring spoons. for christmas i am making her a gorgeous pink apron to wear on our cookie making play dates in the future, photos will definitely follow when it is finished. i have also nearly finished making a pair of work slacks that i have had in my cutout pile for over a year, and have plans for a few dresses and tops, though am not entirely sure whether or not i will get around to them. also have been listening obsessively to patrick watson - lovely sweet but slightly quirky tunes covering a whole range of genres. it is love! the song/film clip for the great escape is definitely worth checking out (below)!
also have had some delicious restaurant meals as of late. the two that are most worth mentioning are wink in cairns, and gyo in townsville. wink is on the corner of spence and grafton streets, and the food is modern european - also known as simply devine! for entree i had tomato and strawberry gazpacho with basil jelly and bocconcini. it was sweet and smooth, and perfectly refreshing on a hot north queensland evening! one of my dining companions had a goats cheese souffle which was to die for, so i was a little jealous but rather impressed with the starters. dinner was three types of gnocci - with a lightly creamy sauce, the serving was perfectly proportioned, although i could have eaten it five times over, it was that good! and then for dessert i had a watermelon and rosewater jelly (please forgive me for not remembering the correct name), that was beautiful on the palate as well as on the plate, delicate and just sweet enough to satisfy. i even had a wink cocktail that was incredibly delicious. all in all, the meal was worth every penny and a return visit will definitely ensue (actually that is the second time i have been there, but the first was equally as impressive).
the second delicious dinner experience i had was at gyo, a new japanese restaurant on gregory street in townsville, where the sorely missed c'est si bon used to be. the food was reasonably priced, and looking around it was all presented beautifully, while not being too frighteningly japanese to frighten off the pie-loving aussies. it had a substantial vegetarian selection too, which is a rarity among townsville's dining hot spots (i have actually been to one of the more exclusive restaurants where they have balked at the idea of vegetarianism and then served me a meal with the chicken picked out of it). i had a special vegetable japanese pancake, that i couldn't pronounce or remember the name of but it was really delicious. though i thought it was more like an omelette than a pancake, stuffed mostly with cabbage and covered in what was possibly barbeque sauce and mayonnaise. it was incredible, though, a perfect mix of flavours and textures, and a fairly generous serving which was good because i was starving! it reminded me of hare krishna food that is one of the major reasons i go to festivals. we then had tempura icecream for dessert. it was possibly one of my top ten desserts. and that is a HUGE call, because i have eaten a lot of desserts in my life! it was like having a donut filled with green tea icecream, homemade strawberry jam, and whipped cream. words cannot possibly describe how incredible an experience it was! i will definitely be going back for seconds, thirds, fourths... etc! i strongly recommend that everyone try it, along with the berry berry drink, which is ginger ale and berry juice - and is definitely a good non-alcoholic companion to such a delicious meal (gyo is byo which we didn't realise until after we had got there).
i am definitely going to have sweet dreams of delicious goodies tonight, and am very much looking forward to it! like visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. goodnight!
much love,
frankie.pleure
also have had some delicious restaurant meals as of late. the two that are most worth mentioning are wink in cairns, and gyo in townsville. wink is on the corner of spence and grafton streets, and the food is modern european - also known as simply devine! for entree i had tomato and strawberry gazpacho with basil jelly and bocconcini. it was sweet and smooth, and perfectly refreshing on a hot north queensland evening! one of my dining companions had a goats cheese souffle which was to die for, so i was a little jealous but rather impressed with the starters. dinner was three types of gnocci - with a lightly creamy sauce, the serving was perfectly proportioned, although i could have eaten it five times over, it was that good! and then for dessert i had a watermelon and rosewater jelly (please forgive me for not remembering the correct name), that was beautiful on the palate as well as on the plate, delicate and just sweet enough to satisfy. i even had a wink cocktail that was incredibly delicious. all in all, the meal was worth every penny and a return visit will definitely ensue (actually that is the second time i have been there, but the first was equally as impressive).
the second delicious dinner experience i had was at gyo, a new japanese restaurant on gregory street in townsville, where the sorely missed c'est si bon used to be. the food was reasonably priced, and looking around it was all presented beautifully, while not being too frighteningly japanese to frighten off the pie-loving aussies. it had a substantial vegetarian selection too, which is a rarity among townsville's dining hot spots (i have actually been to one of the more exclusive restaurants where they have balked at the idea of vegetarianism and then served me a meal with the chicken picked out of it). i had a special vegetable japanese pancake, that i couldn't pronounce or remember the name of but it was really delicious. though i thought it was more like an omelette than a pancake, stuffed mostly with cabbage and covered in what was possibly barbeque sauce and mayonnaise. it was incredible, though, a perfect mix of flavours and textures, and a fairly generous serving which was good because i was starving! it reminded me of hare krishna food that is one of the major reasons i go to festivals. we then had tempura icecream for dessert. it was possibly one of my top ten desserts. and that is a HUGE call, because i have eaten a lot of desserts in my life! it was like having a donut filled with green tea icecream, homemade strawberry jam, and whipped cream. words cannot possibly describe how incredible an experience it was! i will definitely be going back for seconds, thirds, fourths... etc! i strongly recommend that everyone try it, along with the berry berry drink, which is ginger ale and berry juice - and is definitely a good non-alcoholic companion to such a delicious meal (gyo is byo which we didn't realise until after we had got there).
i am definitely going to have sweet dreams of delicious goodies tonight, and am very much looking forward to it! like visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. goodnight!
much love,
frankie.pleure
The Butterfly Circus
Check out this beautiful short film from the Doorpost Film Project called The Butterfly Circus which was the 2009 Winner of the Doorpost Film Project.
much love,
frankie.pleure
EDIT: I can't work out how to make the page wider so the whole screen fits on, so until I can work out how to do that, you can check it out at this link: The Butterfly Circus
much love,
frankie.pleure
EDIT: I can't work out how to make the page wider so the whole screen fits on, so until I can work out how to do that, you can check it out at this link: The Butterfly Circus
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